In recent years, sport fishing has grown immensely in sophistication and popularity. The pursuit of gamefish has become a profession to many and an extensive hobby with a large portion of the populace. The techniques used among such fishermen have become quite sophisticated and serious, and anglers have become quite knowledgeable about their sport.
One well accepted fact is that fish tend to concentrate around "cover" in the water, and often the thicker the cover, the more and larger are the fish. "Cover" is considered to be any of a variety of things, either natural or manmade, in the water which serve to hide or protect the fish in their aquatic environs. One of the thickest forms of "cover" and particularly in more southern parts of the country is grass. Many species of grass exist in natural and manmade lakes, and the grass in many cases can become so thick as to make navigation difficult or impossible.
Yet, grass is such an excellent cover for fish that anglers often seek to enter even the thickest grassbeds in pursuit of fish.
One common accessory on most fishing boats is a small, electric motor which is used to maneuver the boat during the fishing. Such motors are quiet and efficient, typically operated by batteries in the boat, and are far more effective during fishing than the larger and powerful combustion engines which are usually used for travel over greater distances. Such electric motors are often mounted on the bow of the boat, and steered either by hand or by foot. Indeed, such motors may be used by the fisherman without stopping his fishing or without taking his line out of the water. These motors are commonly referred to as "trolling" motors to distinguish them from the combustion engines which are the primary power for the boat.
Indeed, such electric motors are frequently the only type of motors permitted on numerous small fishing lakes, as these motors permit the boat to travel around the lake, but with almost no wake or noise.
One of the disadvantages of these motors, however, is the fact that the propellers can be quickly tangled with grass to the point where the motor does not have enough power to turn. This is a particularly problem in southern lakes where grass grows more thickly all year. In order for the motor to operate efficiently, it must have a continuous flow of water, but the grass blocks this flow, thereby preventing the motor from functioning properly or efficiently.
In the past, a variety of techniques have been developed for overcoming this problem. One of the earliest devices was simply a conical basket which is attached to the motor. The basket is secured around the motor housing with its axis concentric with the motor shaft axis The perforate nature of the basket would allow the flow of water, while the perforations would allow the water to flow through to the propeller.
However, such baskets tended to catch and hold the grass which they encountered, and periodically the motor and basket would have to be removed from the water and the grass manually removed from the basket. The grass would become so thick on the basket that a considerable drag was generated slowing or even stopping the boat. Thus, even though the grass did not come in contact with the propeller, it nonetheless did prevent the proper functioning of the motor.
A more recent advance has been the development of "weedless" propellers. Such propellers tend to shed the grass or weeds from the blades of the propeller, and are remarkably efficient. While these propellers are quite effective, they are not available for all motors, and many motors are in use without such newer propellers.
Thus, a need still exists for improved weedguards for electric trolling motors.
Accordingly, primary object of this invention is to provide an improved weedguard for electric trolling motors.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a weedguard of simple, yet effective construction.
A further object of this invention is to provide a weedguard which may be attached to any type of trolling motor.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a weedguard which is more effective and reliable than the prior art weedguards.
Still a further object of the invention is to provide a weedguard which sheds grass and weeds away from the motor structure so as to avoid interference with the propeller.